Garland's 1963-64 state titles came in Curtis' first 2 years as coach

Ernie Cunningham and Chuck Curtis at a 1965 Garland High School reunion.

Ernie Cunningham and Chuck Curtis at a 1965 Garland High School...

All roads to the UIL state football 11-man championships lead to Houston. With the announcement that the 2015 title games will be played at NRG Stadium, the first time they have been held in the city since 2008, the Chronicle will look back each week at some of the best games, moments and performances from past championship games played here.

Homer Johnson coached football at Garland for five seasons before taking the job as the school district's athletic director in 1963.

His first act? Hiring his replacement at Garland. Johnson knew one name: Chuck Curtis.

"I asked the board to hire him because I knew he was a good coach," Johnson said. "He played football over at TCU, and I followed him all the way. In my opinion, he was probably the best coach to ever coach in the state of Texas."

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To this day, Johnson remains Garland ISD's athletic director, and his first major hire still resonates. Curtis led the Owls to back-to-back state championships in 1963 and 1964.

The 1964 title was won at Rice Stadium, where Garland defeated Galena Park 26-21 for the Class 4A crown - the largest classification at the time.

It might have been consecutive titles for the Owls, but it was three in a row for Curtis. He won the 1962 2A championship with Jacksboro.

Curtis and Garland were made for each other.

On one hand, here was a coach who had learned from the best. Curtis played under assistants Vince Lombardi and Tom Landry for one season while with the New York Giants before returning to Texas.

On the other, here was a team ready to win. A good chunk of Garland's championship teams had played together since the fifth grade, experiencing mostly success along the way.

"We were fixing to do some damage anyway," said Jimmy Adams, the quarterback on both title teams.

In fact, teams he played on from the fifth grade through his senior year posted a combined 86-1-1 record.

Two of the most memorable games during that 13-1 run in 1964 were a 20-16 victory over Texarkana and the five-point win over Galena Park.

The success turned the Owls into rock stars. Adams remembers the city shutting down to watch Garland play at home.

Johnson remembers an electric atmosphere at Rice Stadium, which hosted the Super Bowl 10 years later.

"Galena Park had a real good team," Johnson said. "It was a knock-down, drag-out. We were very lucky to have won the game."

Those championship campaigns remain fresh at Garland. Even 50 years later.

About 14 of the team members still travel together and reunite regularly.

"Those championships put together a bond that's been a life-long, unbelievable bond," Adams said. "Each time we have the opportunity to sit down and talk with people about it, they're simply amazed by it and want to justkeep asking us more and more."